Support for locomotive air-reservoibs



T. J. ODAY.

SUPPORT FOR LOCOMOTIVE AIR RESERVOIRS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12. 1916.

l 1 93,480. Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

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provements 1n supports forlocomotive air reservoirs.

lone, of New York,

Locomotive Air Reservoii-s,

THOM'AS J,

ODAY, OFMALONE, NEW YORK.

SUPPORT FOR nocoivio'rrvn ain-nnsnnvoms.

To all whomit may concern:

Be'it known thatI, THoM'As'J. ODAY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Main the county of Franklin and'State have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in following is a specification.

This invention relates to supports and more particularly to new anduseful im- An object of my invention 'is to provide primarily means forhandling the main air reservoirs employed on locomotives, whereby thereservoir may be supported at an angle and rotated for testing purposes,whereby all of the surface of the reservoir may be exposed to view.

My invention particularly contemplates the provision of means forobviating the cumbersome, ineflicient, and very often dangerous devicesand means now' employed in locomotive shop practice.

A further object of my invention isto provide a support of the classdescribed which is adapted for a wide scope ofuses, its adaptation tothe use hereinafter set forth'indetailbeing merely one of its manyapplications. I r p Other objects and advantages will. appear from thefollowing in connection with an inspection of the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 is an end elevational view of my improved support inuse, the running board and portion of a locomotive boiler being shown.Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same. Fig. 3 is a verticalsectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 looking in the directionof the arrow. Referring more particularly to the drawings, whereinsimilar reference characters designate like and corresponding partsthroughout the respective views, 1 designates a portion of a locomotiveboiler from which extends the back 2 supporting the usual runningboard3.

The air reservoir is designated l, and in the later types of steamlocomotives is located beneath the running board on the right hand sideabout midway the length of the engine. In the locomotive shops at thepresent time, it is customary to test reservoirs at certain fixedintervals of time, the party inspecting the reservoir applyingSpecification of Letters Patent.

Supports for of which the a hereinbefore detail description taken-Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

Application medrebruar 12; 1916. Serial No. 77,974..

what is known as the hammer test to the outer surface of the reservoir.In testing these reservoirs, it is necessary that the same be slightlylowered from their fastenings and rotated in order that each and everyplate and the total surface of the reservoir may be reached by thehammer. Atthe present time, either a scaffold must be built up to therunning board to support the reservoir during the testingprocess orcumbersome chains wrapped about the reservoir for suspending the sameduring said process. Very often these chains do not hold and thereservoir will slip from proper position and fall to the ground or floorof the shop often injuring the reservoir or the party testing the same.

It is a primary object of my invention as set forth to overcome thedangers arising from the practice now existing in locomotive shops inthis particular line of work, and in orderto properly support areservoir during said process of testing,I provide a pairof U-shapedcradles or hangers designated 5 and 6 in their entireties. ticalin formand construction andthe description of one will therefore suiiice.

Referring to the cradle 6, it will be noted that thesame is formed oftwo straps desi nat ed 7 'and 8, 'saidstraps being substantiallyU-shaped in configuration and arranged in parallel spaced relation,transverse rods 9 serving to maintain said straps in the position shown.A pair of adjusting and supporting members, preferably bolts 10 and 11are pivotally connected on pins 12 to the free ends of said straps andtherebetween as best shown in Fig. 2. The upper ends of the bolts 10 and11 pass through a transverse supporting bar 13 having a pair ofelongated openings 14: therein adjacent its extremities, and nuts 15 arereceivable on said bolts to adjust the same. The supworting bars 13raised upon the upper surface of the running board and the bolts 10 and11 extend outwardly on each side of said running board. In order torotatably support an object held by the cradles, I provide a pluralityof revolubly mounted wheels 16, said wheels being carried by transversepins 17 extending between the straps 7 and 8. The wheels are sopositioned that their respective peripheries project slightly beyond theinner marginal edges of the straps 7 and 8 whereby to receive an ob-These cradles are substantially idenuby slightly rotating the sameonzthe wheels V 25.

4'when the latter is rotated.

, ject,in this instance thereservoir, and revolubly mount the same. Asshownto advantage in Fig. 2 the Wheels are preferably provided withgrooved peripheries,.whereby the same will more easily accommodate thereservoir themselves to the rivets 18 of In use, the cradles 5 and 6 areplaced beneath the air reservoir and the bolts 10 and 11 are engagedbymeans of the nuts 15 with thetransverse bars '18. ,Of course, anynumber ofthecradles maybe provided, butI have found that in actualpractice a; pair'of cradles perform efliciently. The air reservoir maynow be released from the permanent fastenings and supported by means ofthe cradles. By releasing the bolts of one -of--the cradles and takingup on the bolts of the other of the cradles, the reservoir may bedisposed at any desired angle within certain limits to be determinedbythe length of the bolts. In this position the reservoir may besubjec'ted'to the full air pressure and 16 the complete peripheralsurface thereof may be hammer-tested. Whenthe reservoir is disposed-ininclined position as best'shown in Fig. 2, the same will have a tendencyto move forwardly as it is rotated, thereby permitting access to thatportion of the reservoir adjacent the cradles-this being impos sible inthe devices now in use.

From the above description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it is'thought that a clear and comprehensive understandingofrthe construction, operation and advantages-of my invention may be IGopies of this patent maybe obtained for had, andwhile I have shown anddescribed my" invention as embodying a specific structure, I desire thatit be understood that I maymakei such changesrion said structure as donot depart from the spirlt and scope of the invention as 1 described.

' What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis: a e i 1. In a; device'of the class described, in

combination with a platform, a plurality of cradles, supporting memberspivotally connecteditherewith and extending on each side of saidplatform, means bearing} upon the upper surface of the platformandadjustablyassociated With said supporting'menr,

bersfor the purposeset forth; 1 v

2. A supporting cradle, includinga pair of spaced U-shaped straps havinganti-friction rollers interposed therebetween, bolts pivoted betweensaid straps at the free ends thereof, a transverse supporting bar associated with said bolts, and nuts on the free ends of said boltsforretainingthe latter in engagement. with said bar.v v 3. In a device ofthe class described, cradle comprising a pair of straps substantiallyvU-shaped in configuration and arranged in spaced relation,anti-friction rollers mounted'between said spaced straps to revolubly.support a cylindrical object,'suspending arms pivotally associated withsaid cradlebetween the free ends of the spaced 7 straps, and atransverse bar engageable with the free end of the said arm and adaptedto rest upon a supporting object for. the pur-.-

pose set forth. a. y a r In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

THOMAS J. ODAY.

five cents each, by addressing the (lommissiondriof Patents. Washington,D. C.-

